


The Best Worst Thing That Ever Happened

by Shreiking_Beauty



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-08
Updated: 2014-10-13
Packaged: 2018-02-20 10:31:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2425451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shreiking_Beauty/pseuds/Shreiking_Beauty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternate Universe where Asgard and Midgard are allies, the Chitauri make them seal it with an arranged marriage between Tony and Loki!!! One of my first FanFictions ever so not my best work but R&R!!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Getting the News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Odin tells Tony's parents what's what

“Welcome, my friends,” Odin greeted the Midgardian ambassador, Howard Stark, and his wife. “It is grievous to me to invite you here for such a distasteful discussion.”

“Business as usual, eh?” Stark joked, making the (much) older man chuckle.

“Indeed. Come; we will discuss it inside.” He took Frigga by the arm and led them to the living space, getting comfortable on the couches. Mrs. Stark looked worriedly at her friend, but Frigga gave her a reassuring smile.

“Now, don’t keep me in suspense, old friend,” Howard jested. “What is this news you have for me?” Odin sighed heavily.

“The Chitari king has given us an ultimatum. Our younger son, Loki, must marry the Chitari prince.” Mr. and Mrs. Stark gasped in disgust.

“How terrible!” Mrs. Stark exclaimed.

“That’s not all,” Frigga added. “If we form an alliance with the Chitari, we will be forced to break our alliance with Midgard.”

“What?!” Howard exclaimed, standing indignantly.

“Sit down, Stark. There is another solution.” Mr. Stark sat slowly, staring intently at the one-eyed man. 

“If we were to seal our alliance with you, formally, we would abandon our alliance with the Chitari instead, which we would much rather do, with your consent of course.”

“Of course, of course!” Stark insisted.

“Wait, what do you mean by ‘seal the alliance formally’?” Mrs. Stark asked.

“Loki would have to marry your son, Anthony,” Frigga answered. “Also, Anthony would be translated to immortality, and live mostly in our palace on Asgard.” Mrs. Stark held her husband’s hand, both thinking deeply.

“What does your boy, Loki, think of all of this?” she asked.

“We have not yet told him,” Odin replied. “but he will accept his duty as the prince of Asgard. Go, now, home to your son, and discuss it with him.” The Midgardian ambassadors left through the Bifrost without another word, appearing on the balcony of the penthouse of Stark Tower, where Tony had been living for the past few years. As they entered the living room, Tony raised his eyebrows and turned off the TV from the couch.

“You’re early,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting you for a couple of hours.”

“Tony, sit down, we need to talk,” his mother said. Due to her serious tone, he chose not to remark that he was already sitting. She looked forlornly at her only son. “Oh, my baby, I never wanted this for you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Howard interrupted. “It’s high time he took his responsibilities seriously!”

“Oh, Howard, listen to yourself! He has run your company expertly and invented all kinds of things that have made you a very rich and powerful man!”

“Hey, hey, Mom, relax!” Tony said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

“The Chitari have ordered that Asgard choose between us for a sole alliance,” Howard explained.

“So, they choose us, right? What does this have to do with me?”

“Well, you see, sweetie,” his mother explained, “in order to make the alliance official, you will have to marry their son, Loki.” Tony froze, shocked for a moment.

“You-you want me to what?!” 

“Honey, it’s not as bad as it seems. You told me that time, remember, that you were bisexual?”

“What?!” Howard gasped.

“Mom, I don’t care if he’s a guy or not! I can’t marry someone I’ve never met before! I don’t know anything about him! I haven’t even had a steady relationship since college!”

“You’ll marry him,” Howard declared. “We have to think about what’s best for everyone! Our alliance with Asgard is the only thing keeping us from total destruction!”

“Besides,” his mother said, trying to pacify him, “you will be made immortal! Won’t that be nice?”

“Oh, yeah, I get to watch everyone I’ve ever cared about grow old and die without me!” He stormed out and went to his bedroom, ordering Jarvis to lock the door behind him. 

“You could have been a little nicer about it,” Mrs. Stark started.

“Nicer! You treat him like a child!”

Tony felt like a little kid again, hiding in his room while his parents yelled at each other. His dad didn’t hit any more, which was good. He used to imagine rescuing his mother and taking over Stark Industries while his dad was in jail.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly and tried to imagine his future husband. He was probably tall, blond, and beefy, like his brother, Thor. Probably smiling proudly and dutifully as he accepted the job placed before him. Tony shuddered at the thought of sharing a bed with him. Just because he was bisexual didn’t mean he wanted to bed every man he laid eyes on, and Thor was so not his type.

He stayed in his room for about an hour, definitely not crying. When he finally came out of his room, he had his mind made up to make the best of this. His parents looked up at him from the couch as he sat down. “Can we at least go there a couple of days early so I can meet him? I mean, I didn’t even know  
Thor had a brother, I don’t even know what he looks like!” His mother hugged him and smiled before pulling out her cell phone.

“Here, Frigga let me take a picture of her family portrait once.” I had Jarvis put it up on the big screen so I could clearly see the family of four. Odin and Frigga were sitting together, smiling pleasantly. Thor was standing behind his father, also smiling. Next to him, however, was who Tony assumed was Loki. He didn’t appear to be related to the others in any way. Instead of shimmering golden hair, he had ebony black hair. Instead of sky blue eyes, he had emerald green eyes. Instead of being huge and ripped, he was slender and elegant, still looking well-toned. Also, he lacked the ‘happy family’ smile the others adorned, and looked like he really didn’t want to be there. Now, this guy was definitely my type. “What do you think?” 

“Well, he’s cute, but that doesn’t mean I’ll like him,” Tony replied bitterly.

The news of the arranged marriage spread like the Plague, and not two days after hearing the news himself, he was in a press conference discussing it.

“Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark!” one reporter shouted. “What is your opinion on marriage in general? Aren’t you known for being a notorious playboy?”

“Yes, well, I’ve always had plans to marry and have kids one day, I was just having a little fun until then.”

“Mr. Stark, over here! What about the fact that he’s a man? Does that bother you?”

“Well, luckily for me, I’ve been bisexual for as long as I can remember. I’ve even been with a few men, and they’ve been kind enough to keep it secret for me, thank you!” he blew a kiss at the camera in case one of them was watching.

“Mr. Stark! What are you going to do about Stark Industries?”

“In sight of the circumstances, we’ve decided it would be best for me to assume more of the diplomatic stuff while my father resumes more of the industrial stuff. Still, as always, we’ll be working hand-in-hand.”

“Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Aren’t you upset about being forced into an arranged marriage? Doesn’t that seem a little old-fashioned?”

“Yes, but considering the situation, I’ve decided that this is the best course of action for everyone involved. I’m sorry, but I can’t answer any more questions. However, my father had informed me that Odin Allfather is inviting several reporters from Midgard for the wedding, the details are in the invites.  
Thank you.”


	2. Loki gets the news

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frigga and Odin tell Loki

Frigga knocked gently on her son’s door. “Loki? Your father and I have something to talk to you about.” Loki sighed and closed his book, placing it on the table next to his chair. Without waiting for permission, Frigga and Odin entered and sat across from him on a couch. 

“I’m afraid we have some distressing news,” Odin began. Loki smirked bitterly.

“What ‘news’ could you possibly have that would distress me?” Odin sighed, remembering how he found out about his true heritage with guilt.

“Loki, you know we met with the Chitauri king today. You see, he has made us an offer. Either we break our alliance with Midgard and bond with them, or vice versa.”

“Alright, then, what has this got to do with me?”

“In order to seal our alliance, we will have to marry you away. Unless Anthony Stark agrees to marry you, you will be married to the Chitauri prince.” Loki’s stomach knotted painfully, a lump rose in his throat, and he tried to swallow it. 

“Do I have no say in the matter?” he asked quietly.

“This is your duty as a prince of Asgard,” Odin said sternly. “You will marry one of them. Just hope it will be Anthony Stark.” They left, leaving behind only a sympathetic frown from his mother. Loki crawled into his bed and let tears fall freely across his face. A few hours later, Thor sank onto the bed next to his brother.

“I just heard the news . . .” he said uneasily. 

“My future is in the hands of a child.”

“Anthony is not a child.”

“He’s 25 years old. Midgardian years old.”

“Mortals reach maturity at about 18 Midgardian years, so he is well into adulthood. Besides, I have met him, and he is very smart and responsible . . . uh, well, at least in important matters.”

“Yeah, well, he’s never met me before. I’m not an important matter to him,” Loki grumbled, curling further under the covers and facing away from Thor.

“Brother, worry not. I’m sure Anthony will make the right decision.” Loki didn’t reply, lost in thought. He had in fact met the Chitari prince before. His first impression was that he was repulsive and vile. Then, later, he happened to catch him alone in the weapons hall.

He had tried to force himself onto Loki, but Thor intervened. Ever since, Loki had been somewhat afraid of him. Now, he truly believed that he would have to marry him.  
“If I have to marry the Chitari prince, I’ll kill myself,” he mused quietly.

“What? Don’t be ridiculous! That’s awful! Besides, that would likely cause war between the Chitari and Asgard, and without our alliance with Midgard, we just don’t have the kind of resources to defeat them.”

“Well, maybe I don’t want what’s best for Asgard anymore. Maybe I want to take care of myself for once.” Thor wanted to argue, but he knew how useless it was, so he left Loki to his thoughts and went off to find his wife and best friend, Sif, for comfort. Loki, still in his bed, turned one of his pillows to lay with him, pretending it was Anthony, and cuddled up against it.

“Save me,” he whispered to the pillow.


	3. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go to Asgard and Tony sees his future hubby for the first time!

Tony was known for being late for things, but when that thing involved being teleported through space, it was pretty mandatory to be on time. He stepped out of the limo and waved at the flashing cameras and spectators, joining a large group of reporters all with their camera crews, there equipment carefully packed away in bags save for a few hand-held cameras to record the trip through the bifrost. His parents were waiting at the end of the platform, waiting for the bell to chime 8 o’clock, when the bifrost would open and they would all be sent to the Asgardian palace. Several police men and security guards held the people clear of the platform, and one last group of reporters broke through the crowd and ran up to the others, panting heavily. 

People started screaming and cheering even louder, and they looked up to see a light in the sky descend on the platform. In a flash of color and light, they were sucked through to Asgard. They landed in front of a great golden gate. Several of the company lost their breakfast, and Tony chuckled, remembering the first time he traveled through the Bifrost. They quickly collected themselves and began their work, each little group hoping to get something the others didn’t.

A large man in gold armor approached them, and they quieted respectfully. “Welcome to Asgard,” he boomed. “In a moment you will be brought into the throne room, where young Mr. Stark will be introduced to the prince, after which, you will be shown to your rooms for a short resting period. You may go anywhere you can get to. If you can’t get into an area, that means it is off limits! (Tony quirked a sarcastic grin) Please enjoy your stay. If you need anything, ask one of the servants or a guard.”

At that, he turned and led them through the gate and into the large doors of the throne room. Guards gestured for the reporters to stop near the door as the Stark family continued forward and bowed before the five golden thrones. The royal family was sitting, in order from left to right, Sif, Thor, Odin, Frigga, and Loki. Tony would receive a throne to the right of Loki. He looked up at the god in gold, green, and black armor, and winked at him, smirking. Said god blushed and smiled a little, making Tony smile wider. When the Starks straightened, Odin said some things, but Tony couldn’t take his eyes off of his future husband. He was much more beautiful in person, and Tony was beginning to get excited for the union.

When Odin finished speaking, they were led out a side door, followed by the reporters competing to get the last picture of Loki. They dropped off a few groups at different rooms along the way, left with a guard giving them instructions. After his parents were shown to their room, the last guard led Tony into a large, fancy room with its attached bathroom and a cozy living space opposite the huge bed.

“This is your room,” the guard said. “Today and tomorrow are free for you to get acquainted with the prince. The next day will be for planning the ceremony, and the next will be another free day, then one more planning day before the day of the ceremony.” Tony nodded. “I will return precisely at 12:00 to show you to the dining hall. When the meal is finished, you will be allowed some time in the garden with the prince.” When he left, Tony admired the room and found all of his things, and a Midgardian clock, which he assumed was an accommodation for the mortals.

He lounged around for the next few hours, noting that the bed was incredibly soft and the bathroom was magnificent, before the guard returned to take him to lunch. The hall was full of reporters + crew, all following the guards and chatting excitedly.

“Tony!” Pepper called. Tony turned around, confused, and found Pepper and his four other best friends, Bruce, Steve, Clint, and Natasha, hurrying towards him.

“Pepper?! Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?” he exclaimed happily, wrapping Pepper in a hug.

“You didn’t really think we were gonna miss out on your wedding, did you?”

“Yeah, I thought I’d never see the day Tony Stark settled down,” Clint joked, “let alone being the first of us!”

“I thought for sure it’d be Steve,” Natasha agreed.

“What about us?” Clint asked, pretending to be hurt.

“We can wait. Steve would marry a waitress that greeted him nicely.” Tony laughed loudly.

“I can’t believe this! I didn’t see you come with us!”

“We were hiding in the reporters,” Steve explained. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Well label me ‘surprised.’ You have no idea how glad I am that you’re here. I’m so nervous!”

“You? Nervous?” Tasha teased. “Come on, you could get anyone to like you.”

“Oh, yeah? Even you?”

“Hmm, yeah, if you tried hard enough,” she joked.

“Hey!” Clint said, laughing. They were led to the dining hall, a large room with a long table all covered in golden bowls of fruits and decorative leaves. They were assigned seats, with Odin at the head of the table with Frigga on his right and Loki on his left, next to Thor who sat across from Sif. The middle was made up of the reporters, then Clint, Bruce, Pepper, and Tony, Howard at the other end, and Mrs. Stark next to him, followed by Steve and Natasha. 

Tony was a bit worried they wouldn’t be able to hear each other clear across the table, but it turned out that everyone’s voices seemed to carry so it sounded like they were right next to you. They were first presented with a traditional American salad. Tony looked across the table at Loki, watching him pick up a crouton with his fork and examine it.  
“You’re supposed to eat it,” Thor said to him. “You know how to eat, right?” Loki glared at him and flicked the crouton into his face.

“Loki! Thor!” Frigga scolded. “Will you ever grow up?”

“Sorry, mother,” Thor said solemnly, but stuck his tongue out at Loki when she wasn’t looking. Tony chuckled a little at them, glad that the atmosphere wasn’t so formal. He was not a very formal person. The entire meal passed easily; people making idle chat, Odin and Howard talking politics, Tony and his friends joking together, but much to Tony’s dismay, Loki stayed silent.


	4. Getting to Know Each Other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get some alone time and sparks fly

“Loki, sit here, on this bench,” Frigga instructed, sitting her son down in the garden. “Now, listen. He’ll be here in a moment. Just remember to make eye contact and smile. And don’t get offended or angry! Oh, and don’t read while he’s talking to you, alright?”

“Okay, mother!” Loki grumbled irritably.

“Alright, I’m going to go now. You’ll be great!” 

“Mother, please!” he groaned again, flinching away as she started to smooth out his hair.

“Sorry, sorry! Good luck!” Loki rolled his eyes as she hurried away, pulling a book out of one of his pockets.

Tony looked across the garden at Loki, sitting amongst the flowers and reading from a large book. His mother straightened his shirt and fixed his hair while he watched him.

“Listen, Tony, try not to offend him, will you?” she begged.

“Uh huh.”

“And Tony!” Pepper added. “Look at his neck!”

“His neck?”

“Yes! If he exposes it to you, that means he likes you! If he hides it from you, that means he’s feeling shy!”

“And if he gets up and leaves,” Clint also added, “that means you were a total ass and screwed it up!”

“Tony,” Natasha said. “People like to talk about themselves, so ask him questions and talk about things he’s interested in!”

“Kay . . .” Tony said, still staring at Loki.

“And be nice to him!” Steve said.

“And don’t say anything vulgar!” Bruce scolded.

“And Tony,” his mother said again, “don’t talk about all of the people you’ve been with. But be honest with him! Unless it’s something you think would offend him, then avoid it at all costs! Are you even listening to me?”

“Uh . . . no,” he said, walking toward the reading god. His friends scrambled around, trying to get the best view, and his mother ran off to a spot on the second floor with Frigga that they had picked out earlier.

“What are you reading?” Tony asked, coming up behind Loki. He closed the book and put it back in his pocket.

“Nothing important.” Tony sat next to him on the bench, probably a little closer than most people would be comfortable with.

“So. We’re getting married, you know?” Loki smiled mockingly at him.

“Yes, I know.”

“Well, I made a list of things that I think you should know about someone before you marry them,” Tony said proudly, conjuring a small notepad from the inside of his jacket. “See?I even wrote it down!” Loki chuckled quietly. “Okay, first question: what is your favorite color?”

“Green,” Loki answered.

“Good color! You know, your eyes are a really gorgeous shade of green.”

“Really?” Loki asked, surprised. Tony didn’t seem to be mocking him or lying, but no one had ever complimented his eyes before. The closest anyone has ever come was when   
Fandril told him they were “too intense.”

“Yeah, kind of like jewels or . . . leaves or something, I don’t know. My favorite color is red, but green is sounding really nice.” Loki blushed and smiled. “Anyway, next question: what is your favorite food?”

“Hmm, probably . . . mixed berries and crème.”

“So, you like sweets, huh?”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Loki answered, a little embarrassed.

“Have you ever had strawberries with champagne?”

“No. I’ve had strawberries, but never ch-champagne . . .”

“It’s good, I’ll have to show it to you sometime, but my favorite food is either steak or lasagna.”

“I like steak, too, but I’ve never heard of, uh—”

“Lasagna! It’s good, too; we could have it with our champagne and strawberries!” That made Loki laugh, a real laugh, that Tony found musical. “So, next question: what is your favorite thing to do in your free time?”

“Read, mostly. There isn’t much else to do around here.”

“Hopefully I can change that!” Tony said, smiling suggestively.

“What do you like to do?”

“Me? I like to invent things, and build the things I invent.” Loki raised his eyebrows, impressed.

“Have you invented many things?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that. I’ll have to show you some of my favorites sometime.” Loki nodded politely. Tony remembered Pepper’s advice and looked at his neck: he was tilting his head down shyly, with his hair draped over it, and he was playing with the ends of his hair absently. “Uh, one more question: what is your favorite kind of flower?”

Loki looked around him a moment before smiling and plucking a nearby blossom and handing it to Tony. It was blood red in the center, but faded out to a light shade of lavender.   
There were six large petals and six smaller petals inside, which were blue, and three blue spindles coming out from the center.

“Wow,” Tony commented. “This is really . . . beautiful. I’ve never seen a flower like this before.”  
“That’s because this is the only garden in the nine realms that has them. I made them myself, you know, experimenting once with some magic. They’ve continued to grow here ever since.”

“That’s amazing! How did you do it?” Loki smiled, glad that someone was actually interested in his magic, and gave him a brief explanation of how he had studied the anatomy of certain flowers and took certain traits that he liked to make a new one. Tony listened with interest, twirling the flower in his fingers.

“What’s your favorite flower?” Loki asked suddenly.

“Well, this one, obviously,” Tony joked, “but I used to like this flower, I think they’re called dahlias. You know, the ones with all the different layers of petals?”

“Yes, we have those in our garden, too,” Loki said, pointing to a group of yellow and orange ones.

“Very nice. So, anyway, I couldn’t think of anymore general questions, but I have a few personal ones.”

“Like . . . ?”

“So, you’re a god, right? What are you the god of?”

“Mischief,” he answered slyly, grinning at Tony evilly. Tony smiled hugely.

“No way! That is so cool!” he gushed like a fangirl(boy). Loki looked at him strangely, quirking one of his eyebrows.

“Really? You really think that’s . . . cool?” Tony reached out and touched Loki’s quirked eyebrow, making it quirk even more.

“I really like your eyebrows,” he said, making Loki laugh. “I like it when you laugh, too.”

“I like it when you laugh,” Loki said.

“We should laugh more often, then. We can take turns.” Loki laughed again, followed closely by Tony.

“What did you think when you heard we were to be married?” Loki asked.

“Well, to be completely honest with you, I thought you’d be more like Thor’s clone, and I was a little . . . anxious.” he made a disgusted face, making Loki laugh once again. “I was   
so glad you weren’t like him. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the guy, but he’s just . . . not my type.”

“And am I your type?”

“Definitely. . . What were you thinking when you heard? What did you think I was gonna be like?”

“To be honest, I didn’t really care what you were like; I just couldn’t stop thinking how horrible it would be if I had to marry the Chitari prince.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve got to admit; I’m way better looking than him.” Loki smiled and nodded in agreement. “It’s almost a shame: the two of us getting married. I mean, that’s taking   
two of the hottest people alive off of the playing field.”

“You’re very sweet, Anthony.”

“Well, thank you. No one has ever called me that before, I don’t think anyway. But, uh, why’d you call me ‘Anthony’?”

“Is that not your name?”

“Well, it is, but I hate it when people call me that.”

“What would you like me to call you?”

“Tony. Or Sexy, that would be cool, too.” Loki chuckled, and Tony again noticed his neck. His head was now inclined away from him, and his hair flipped to the other side, exposing the long tendon from the base of his ear, and a faint blue vein under his smooth porcelain skin.

“Tony, then.” 

Odin and Howard walked down the hall together, casually, discussing the finer details of how things would go once their sons were married. Turning the corner, they found their wives happily looking out the window into the garden.

“Frigga, don’t watch them!” Odin sighed. “Leave the boy alone!”

“But the Midgardians are watching them,” she pouted.

“They are ‘reporters.’ It’s their job to spy on people.” 

“But, Odin, look! Their getting along!”

“It’s so romantic!” Mrs. Stark bubbled. Odin leaned around his wife and saw his son sitting close to Stark, who was twirling that flower Loki had made, and was surprised to see Loki smiling and laughing with him. It was strange to see him doing so. He hadn’t seen him laugh since he was a child. He almost didn’t think his younger son had the capability of laughter anymore.

“I’ve never seen him so happy before,” Frigga mused aloud what Odin was thinking. Mrs. Stark smiled and clapped her hands together.

“Ooh, this is going so well!” she squealed happily. “I was so worried they wouldn’t like each other! I’m so glad!”


	5. Chapter 5

Tony pulled the covers over his head to block out the light. The covers were thick and fluffy, but cool, and the bed was softer than anything he’d ever felt before. He’d fallen asleep immediately at 9:30. Looking at his watch, he found he had slept right through to 11:25. It was pretty late, he had probably missed breakfast. So, he grudgingly got up and ready.

He wandered through the castle until he asked a guard where everyone was, and he told him they were in the garden. Frigga and his mother were sitting together on a bench, and Loki and Thor were sitting in the grass under a tree.

“He certainly sleeps late, doesn’t he,” Thor said, looking up at the clouds.

“Maybe he ran off somewhere and died,” Loki said. Thor smacked him on the side of the head.

“Don’t talk like that. If you’re always so pesi-pes—If you’re always so negative, you’re not going to get Anthony to like you.” 

“I already like him,” I said, sitting next to them. Loki’s eyes lit up, and he smiled at me. I felt butterflies swell in my chest.

“Hey,” he greeted, as I put my arm around his shoulders. “What took you so long?”

“Those Asgardian beds are hard to wake up from. Anyway, what’s the plan for today?”

“No plans. We can do whatever we want. . . Although, there is something I want to show you later.”

“Cool. I’m guessing I missed breakfast, right?” Loki nodded. “When is lunch?”

“In a few hours. We could get you something to eat, if you want.”

“Maybe later. For now, I was hoping you could maybe show me around the place?”

“Sure, okay, let’s go.” Tony stood up and held out a hand to help Loki. He noticed their mothers had stopped talking and looked over to see them watching intently. His mother gave him a ‘thumbs up’ and he rolled his eyes pointedly.

“Where should we start?”

“Well, the upper floors of the castle are the bedrooms, except for a sort of observatory that only Odin and Frigga are allowed to go into.” Tony thought it was strange that he called his parents by their names, but decided not to dwell on it. “Let’s start in the throne room.” They walked inside, stopping in the throne room, and Loki told Tony all about what went on in there, and how he would sit up in his own throne next to him sometimes, but usually there was just one throne for Odin.

He showed him the kitchen and dining room, allowing Tony to get a sandwich from one of the cooks. He took him to the healing room, proudly explaining how he had convinced them to incorporate Midgardian healing techniques, which had proved incredibly helpful. 

“I was completely amazed when I found out you were able to remove someone’s heart and replace it with another!” Loki gushed. “Odin said we didn’t need all of those fancy medical things because we had magic, but I made them use an anesthetic when they were pulling a staff out of Thor’s side from a battle, and it didn’t even hurt him!”

“Yeah, anesthetics can do wonders.” Tony smiled at Loki, but found he was frowning at another ornate door they had come to.

“Lokes? What’s up?”

“This is the weapons hall.”

“Okay . . .”

He opened the doors and let Tony inside. It was like a museum in there, a long hall with different exhibits on each side. Loki shut the door behind them, keeping out the ever-present reporters, and slowly led him down the stairs. “Have you ever heard of a Frost Giant?”

“Uh, yeah, but I don’t know much about them . . . why?”

“On Asgard, Frost Giants are the monsters that children fear are hiding under their beds. We tell stories of their brutality and mercilessness. It has long been believed that they are capable of nothing more than destruction and pain.” Tony nodded, confused, but listening intently. The approached the end of the hall, where a pedestal held a glowing blue box, and stopped in front of it.

“This is called the Casket. They used this to attempt to take over Midgard once, a long time ago, when I was just an infant. Asgard defended your people and chased them back to Jotenheim, leaving the temple in ruins. What no one knows is that Odin found a child there, an infant, abandoned in the temple for being too small and weak, left to die. Odin found out it was Laufey’s child, the king’s son. He had foolish ideas about uniting the two realms with this prince.” 

As Tony watched, growing more and more confused, Loki reached out and touched the Casket. His fingertips began turning blue, spreading up his arms. “He took the child and put a spell on it, so it would only reveal it’s true identity if it were to touch someone or something from its heritage.”

Tony understood now, as Loki turned toward him, blood red eyes downcast in shame. “I wanted you to know before we were married, so you could call it off, if you wanted.” The dark blue of his skin began to fade back to normal as he let go of the Casket. “I’m not an Æsir, I’m a Joten runt. I was never supposed to survive, I was meant to die in the temple, condemned before I could see properly.” Tony reached out slowly and put a hand on his face. Loki closed his eyes and leaned into the hand, letting a small tear fall, being caught by Tony’s thumb.

“Don’t cry,” Tony said quietly. “I’m not going anywhere.” Loki opened his eyes, green again, and looked into Tony’s brown ones.

“Promise?”

“I promise.” Tony didn’t know what else to say. He felt incredibly sorry for Loki, could only imagine what it must have felt like to be told that. He wanted to tell him that it didn’t matter what he was, and that he would never leave him, and that everything would be alright, but he was never very good with emotional stuff.

Loki looked back at the Casket. “No one else knows, except for my parents and brother. I . . . I’d like to keep it that way, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, I won’t tell anyone. Loki . . . I love you.” Loki turned to him and hugged him.

“I love you, too.” They stood together for a while, looking at the Casket and holding each other, before Loki decided there was one more place he wanted to show Tony.

“Would you like to see the library?” he asked Tony, allowing a small smile to grace his features.

“I have a feeling you spend quite a lot of time there,” Tony teased, touching the corner of his mouth.

“Come on, I’m sure there’s something there you’d like to read. We have all kinds of books, and we’ve started to collect books from Midgard as well.” He led him excitedly out of the hall and to the library, laughing along the way. “In here!” he said as they approached more embellished doors. He opened them to reveal a tall cylindrical room with bookshelves spiraling up to the top, where a large chandelier illuminated them.

“Wow . . . I’ve only seen libraries like this on movies,” Tony said. He wasn’t one to read excessively, but he did enjoy a nice book from time to time and he was certainly impressed. 

“I’ve read almost every book in the library alphabetically, and when I finish, I start at the top again and read all of the new books. Do you like to read?”

“Yeah, a little bit. Can you recommend any good books for me?”

“Well, all of them are good, I guess it depends on what you’re interested in. Most of our books are about our history, because for a while that’s all anyone cared to write about. 

Then they began recording studies and things we’ve learned, and then they started writing tales and songs and fictional stories.”

“I wouldn’t mind learning some of your history,” Tony said, wondering how much of the Midgardian Norse Mythology was true. Loki frowned though.

“Well, I don’t know, the history books are somewhat . . . flawed. Of course you can read them, but I wouldn’t base too much of it on fact.”

“How so?”

“Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘history was written by the victors’? I believe it is a Midgardian saying, after all. You see, I have managed to acquire some books of other realms, and their accounts of the same occurrences are quite different.”

“I see. You know what you should do?”

“What?”

“Get all the facts from all the different sides and put them together in a new book!” Loki smiled and thought about it.

“That’s a great idea! Will you do it with me?”

“For sure.” A guard came in then and took them to the dining hall for lunch, which Tony didn’t much enjoy because Loki went right back to being silent and reserved, hiding in Thor’s shadow. When they were finished, Thor took them both to the stables.

“If you want to get around Asgard, you have to learn to ride a horse,” he told Tony, who was trying to hide the fact that he was nervous. “We’ve been riding horses since we could walk, right Brother?”

“Thor, what if Tony doesn’t want to ride a horse?”

“What is he going to do, run? Come on, it will be fine. He can ride with you until he gets the hang of it!” He pushed the door open and hurried up to his horse, nuzzling it affectionately. Loki stopped at the largest horse and stroked it’s nose.

“Is that one yours?”

“No, this is Odin’s. I just like to visit him sometimes because he’s my horse’s child and I helped take care of him when he was a baby.”

“Does he really have eight legs?”

“Yes, how did you know that?”

“There’s a myth about him . . . so, he’s your horse’s kid?”

“Yes, that’s my horse there.”

“Interesting,” Tony said, smirking. They led the two horses outside and Thor climbed up on his. Tony couldn’t believe how big they were! He’d always imagined the sleek race horses, but these were muscular battle horses!

“Tony, come up here, you sit in front of me,” Loki instructed. He helped Tony onto the saddle and climbed up behind him, wrapping his arms around him to hold the reins. Tony couldn’t help enjoying the feeling of Loki around him; they fit together perfectly, like a puzzle.

“Pay attention, Tony,” Loki told him before they started walking forward. Tony gasped a little at the sudden movement and Loki smirked behind him. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall,” he said mockingly, but Tony was actually a little comforted knowing Loki was holding on to him. 

“Come, Brother and Anthony! To the training arena!” he galloped on a little faster, but Loki kept an easy pace for Tony. They entered a wooden gate into a scene that reminded Tony of the Roman Gladiator stadiums. Around the edge was a dirt track, and there were fences in the middle that Thor was jumping over. Tony suddenly felt a little ill.

“Don’t worry about him, he’s just showing off,” Loki said. “We’ll just go around the track today.” Tony nodded, watching Thor jump an impossibly high fence with ease. Loki turned the horse and they continued along the track.

“I’m afraid I’m not the best teacher. In fact, I’m not the best rider, either; I tend to communicate with my horse more by magic than by the movements of the reign, so you’ll have to be patient with me.”

“You mean, like telepathy?”

“Sort of.”

“That’s actually . . . cool. I mean, that makes me feel a little better.”

“Try holding the reigns,” Loki prodded. “Like this.”

“What about if you wrapped the reigns around your hands?” Tony asked, assuming that would offer more security.

“No, no, that’s dangerous. If you were to fall off, the horse would drag you.” Tony laughed humorlessly at that and tried to do what Loki was telling him to. He found out that riding a horse was not as much like driving a car as he would have guessed. The horse did as it was directed, but it still had a will of its own. 

After a while, Tony was able to go around the track fairly fast without Loki’s help, when Thor rode up next to them.

“You’re doing splendid! But now it is time to eat!”

“You want to take us back to the stables?” Loki asked Tony.

“Uh, I don’t know, I’m pretty secure on the whole going-around-in-circles thing, but I don’t think I could get him through that gate.”

“Don’t be silly; it’s easy. You just pull the reigns harder to turn sharper.” Tony was able to get through the gate and to the stable safely, but had a little trouble getting off the horse, until Thor wrapped a long, strong arm around his waist and pulled him off, which made Loki laugh.

“Come on, we’re going to be late!” he said, pulling Tony to the dining hall. Dinner went on as per usual; Odin told everyone the real work would begin tomorrow, and Howard made some joke about the real work being him trying to get Tony to agree to the marriage, and Loki stayed quiet, and Tony wished Loki would talk to him. Afterwards, Loki pulled Tony back outside, onto a large balcony with reclined chairs like you’d see at the beach.

“I want to show you the stars,” Loki said, lying on one chair with Tony next to him. The sun was still setting, casting long shadows and golden highlights through the pink and purple clouds. “I’ve seen the ones on Midgard; their beautiful, but here they are much bigger and more colorful.”

“I love looking at the stars on Midgard. Do you guys have constellations and stuff?”

“No, not really, but Thor and I used to make shapes with them when we were little sometimes. Did you know that a Midgardian constellation is actually just a section of the sky, and the actual star patterns are called ‘asterisms’?”

“You know, I think I did hear that once, in school probably.” The stars began to come out quickly, big pink and blue ones, even green ones. Loki curled up on his side and looked at them, occasionally telling Tony one of their names or another little-known fact. He eventually fell asleep there, but Tony had a guard wake him up and take him back to his room.


	6. Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They start planning the wedding and Loki tries his best to be a royal pain in the neck

“Tony, wake up!” someone squealed. Tony rolled over and covered his face with his quilt.

“Not now, Mom!” he complained.

“Come on, you’re going to miss breakfast again!”

“Breakfast is overrated.”

“Tony, WAKE UP! We are planning the wedding today and I’M SO EXCITED!” She tugged at his quilt until he relented and sat up.

“Mom, I’m tired. I don’t want to think today!” She ignored him and threw some clothes at his face.

“Here, put these on, and don’t be late!” she closed the door and ran down the hall screaming “I CAN’T BELIEVE MY BABY’S GETTING MARRIED!” Tony really hoped no one else heard that, but it was unlikely. He pulled himself out of bed and got dressed, running a comb through his hair, and went to eat breakfast, which passed the same as every meal. Afterwards, they were led to a conference-like room. The reporters all sat on what looked like bleachers while the Stark family was seated at a large round table in the middle where the royal family and several Asgardian servants already sat. Tony winked at Loki across the table, making him blush.

“Welcome, friends,” Odin began. “Today we will begin planning the finer details of the ceremony. For the purposes of this union, we would like to combine a traditional Asgardian wedding with a traditional Midgardian wedding. Many traditions are quite the same, as you’ll come to see. We will begin with decorations!” He turned the attention over to his excited wife.

“Firstly, we have to come up with a color scheme,” she announce. “Any ideas?”

“This is my favorite part!” Mrs. Stark squealed. “How about lavender and light green?”

“That’s good!” Frigga commented.

“Mom, purple?” Tony complained.

“Well what color do you want?”

“Hmm . . . blue.”

“Yes, royal blue and white,” Loki said, making Tony smile.

“Royal blue?” Sif countered. “You can’t have royal blue at a wedding! The colors are supposed to be light.”

“We will have a light color: white,” Loki said degradingly. She glared at him.

“Why not light blue and white?”

“Because I don’t like light blue, I like royal blue.”

“Loki, Sif, don’t argue,” Frigga scolded. “If royal blue is what they agree on, so be it. What about the rest of the decorations? I was thinking flowers, obviously, and ribbons!”

“Yes, satin ribbons,” Mrs. Stark agreed. “And what about those glowing balls you had floating around at that banquet we had a few months ago?”

“Oh, yes, definitely! Loki, could you?”

“Yes, Mother, I will.” Tony quirked an eyebrow. Apparently his future husband could make balls of light float around. Cool.

“Good,” Frigga said, turning to a servant. “Get me blue and white flowers and satin ribbons. And some of those little blue jewels like I have on that dress of mine, you know?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Now, of course, formal attire is being made for Anthony, and both of them are being made costumes for the ceremony. How is that going?”

“Very well, your majesty,” another servant said. “They should be finished the day after tomorrow.”

“Splendid. Now, about the feast . . .”

“That’s my favorite part!” Thor told Tony. “Everyone gathers and eats and tells stories! There’s even a dance!” Tony nodded interestedly at him.

“Yes, we will have the royal orchestra playing, and prepare the best food,” Frigga said thoughtfully, “We will need a larger dining hall; we have more guests than at Thor’s wedding.” Odin whispered something in her ear. “Yes, that should do fine. Later today I will supervise the flower arrangements, Odin will confirm the menu for the feast, and Mrs.   
Stark will direct the servants where to put everything in the throne room and the dining hall. Now, Annar will tell everyone how the ceremony will go."

She settled in her chair and a large Æsir man cleared his throat. “To begin with, everyone in attendance will be expected to wear formal clothing. The day of the ceremony, the grooms to be will not be permitted to see each other until the actual ceremony. The Allfather will be standing at the head of the isle next to Queen Frigga, and Prince Loki will come up the aisle to stand in front of them. Then, Mr. Stark will escort Anthony and leave him at the front of the isle with Prince Loki. The Allfather will bless the wedding and they will recite their vows, and each will present the other with a gift. Prince Loki’s gift to Anthony will be the Golden Apple. Anthony will take a bite of the apple, making him immortal, and Loki will then take a bite of the same apple. Anthony’s gift to Loki is the rings.”

He pulled a little velvet box out of nowhere and opened it. On a little satin pillow rested two simple gold rings. “These rings were fashioned by the dwarves. They will never come off unless one wearer breaks their vows. Once put on, they will change to fit the wearer.” He closed the box and put it back in nowhere. “They will kiss and retire to the Prince’s bed chambers to seal the marriage, while everyone else will go to the wedding feast.” Tony bit his lip to stop from smirking at the ‘retiring to the Prince’s bed chambers to seal the marriage’ part.

“Very good,” Odin said. “Now we will attend to our respective duties.” They got up from the table and Tony and Loki were led into a large room covered with clothe, threads, pins, and embellishments for making clothes. They were stood on pedestals next to each other with mirrors around them.

“I’m just going to confirm some measurements,” a seamstress said, going about them with a measuring tape.

“So, what do you think?” Loki said, a little nervously, to Tony.

“Well, it’s extravagant, but I think I’ll live,” Tony joked. “I still can’t believe this is happening!”

“I know; it has been rather sudden. Believe me, a few days in the life of an Immortal is like seconds to you.”

“Yeah, well, I guess I’ll know soon enough.”

“That’s admittedly the part I’m most exited for; making you immortal.”

“Mine’s the ‘retiring to your bed chambers’ part.” Loki laughed loudly.

“Yes, I guessed as much.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tony gasped, pretending to be offended.

“I have heard of your reputation,” Loki said, smirking mischievously. 

“Yeah, well, half of those reports are exaggerated anyway,” Tony defended, making them both laugh. Frigga came in with a servant then, grabbing a few little boxes in the corner.

“Hello, boys. Glad to see you getting along.” Loki rolled his eyes at his mother and unconsciously flinched away from the seamstress as she tried to measure his wrist.

“Don’t move,” she said.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Loki retorted, looking down on her darkly.

“Loki!” Frigga snapped.

“Sorry. I have anger issues,” Loki explained quietly. Tony chuckled a little, but the seamstress gave him an exasperated look.

“It’s not funny; he really does.”

“Well, can you blame him for having a god complex? I mean, he is a god,” Tony said, undeterred. 

“He gets it from his father,” Frigga muttered quietly as she and her servant exited the room. Loki bit his lip, but couldn’t hide the small laugh that erupted from him.

“What’s so funny?” Tony asked.

“I’ll tell you later.” Tony smiled. Usually when someone was trying to suppress their laughter around him, they wouldn’t tell him. He suspected that probably meant they were laughing at him. Loki turned a little to look at his many mirror reflections.

“You really look gorgeous in all those mirrors,” Tony teased. “It’s doing wonders for your god complex.” Loki laughed loudly again.

“From what I’ve heard, you’ve got a bit of a god complex yourself,” he retorted.

“No, I like to think of myself as having a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist complex. Well, I guess that ‘playboy’ part is out of the picture now, huh?”

“It better be.”

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t want to suffer the wrath of the Almighty Thor,” Tony teased.

“Oh, is that the reason you’ll remain faithful?” Loki mocked.

“No, no, don’t worry, I wouldn’t dream of soiling my body with anyone else, for fear of contaminating my body beyond the worthy use of your Awesomeness.”

“Keep talking like that, and I think you’ll find this marriage can be quite pleasant.”


	7. History lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has to get some Asgardian history lessons

When they were finished being measured, Frigga came back in and led them to the throne room, where Mrs. Stark was holding up a royal blue satin ribbon, scrutinizing the angle.

“No, we want to let them flow a little,” she told a servant. “Don’t pull it tight; let it hang in the middle. And make sure they are all hanging down at the same length. Oh, Tony! What do you think about this flower arrangement?” she asked, showing him a large bouquet of blue and white flowers. Tony scowled.

“It’s . . . huge. Why is it so huge?” (That is so not what she said, so don’t even say it)

A nearby servant huffed indignantly. “It’s not huge, it’s beautiful,” he said dramatically. (Also, not what she said)

“It is beautiful,” Loki said, stepping forward. “If you would just remove this, and these, and trim those down, and get rid of these.” As he spoke, he removed some flowers and shrank some of the leaves, leaving only seven blossoms, which Tony though were arranged beautifully. “There; much better.”

“What?!” the servant complained. “It’s tiny!”

“No, this is tiny,” Loki chided, producing a vase the size of a thimble with a single tiny flower in it. “That is perfect. Make more of them.” He turned and looked around at the other decoration plans. Frigga rolled her eyes, and Mrs. Stark smiled at the arrangement.

“That does look nice,” she said. The servant grumbled something under his breath and took the bouquet away.

“Mom, why does everything have to be so extravagant?” Tony sighed. “Why can’t it just be simple?”

“Simple? It’s a wedding, it’s supposed to be fantabulous!” 

Tony threw his arm around Loki’s shoulders. “Well, we’re supposed to be the center of attention, right? Not the flowers.”

“You’re just making excuses.”

“Yeah, I know, but you’ve got to admit, it’s a pretty good excuse. Can you just tone it down? For me?”

“Oh, alright, if you insist,” she relented sadly. Tony thanked her and hugged her a little, and she started crying again.

“I-I just . . . can’t believe my baby’s getting married!” she sobbed. “It came up so fast! Is it the same for you, Frigga?”

“Actually, I’ve been trying to get Loki married for centuries,” she admitted, making Loki roll his eyes and Mrs. Stark laugh. 

“What else do we need to do?” Tony asked.

“First we’re going to have lunch,” Frigga answered, “then we will have you instructed on your duties and expectations as a prince.” Tony tried to suppress his groan, hoping this would be a lot less like school. Just because he’s super genius doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard work to graduate summa cum laude at 18 years old.

He was hungry, though. “So, lunch?”

Lunch went as expected. Of course. Nothing unusual. Except for maybe Tony’s friends excitedly telling him all the things they did that day, and him replying equally excited about how Loki mouthed off two servants.

After lunch, they went back to the conference room. This time Odin wasn’t there (thank goodness, he kind of made Tony feel like an ant), and Loki sat next to Tony. 

They started out telling him that his life wouldn’t change too much. Then, they proceeded to tell him all of the ways that it would change.

1\. He would live in the palace

2\. He would have to attend every banquet/wedding/meeting they could come up with

3\. He would be responsible for inter-planetary diplomatic communication

4\. He would participate in any battles that occurred

5\. He would have to observe certain etiquettes that may be inconsistent to common Midgardian conduct

Sounded to him like a lot would change. He sighed and sat back in his chair, overwhelmed.

“It’s not as bad as it seems,” Loki reassured him.

“What kind of ‘etiquette’ am I supposed to observe?” he groaned.

“No groaning, for one,” he said. “You’ll have to keep a professional demeanor in public. You must be kind and respectful to the people. When asked a question, answer honestly and correctly.”

“Correctly?” Tony asked.

“He means ‘tell them what they want to hear,’” Loki whispered in his ear.

“No, Loki!” Frigga scolded. “He means that you need to keep an open mind and keep your opinions universal and unbiased.”

“Yes,” he said. “and if you are asked to make any judgments, follow the same guidelines and make sure you know all facts.”

“Okay, that sounds easy enough,” Tony said. 

“Also, you will be a part of the council, so you will be informed of any decisions to be made and your input will be considered before any decisions are made, and you will take part in the judgment of criminals and citizen issues.”

“What constitutes as a ‘citizen issue’?”

“Mostly whether or not a citizen is worthy to be granted certain positions, or whether they are worthy to be married, as well as any complaints they have.” Tony sighed. He had never been very responsible (seriously, ask anyone), but he wanted to make this work, so he decided to try his best. As part of being a diplomatic leader, it was also expected of him to know a little bit about their history. They spent the rest of the day, breaking for dinner, teaching him the finer points of their history.

Tony hated history, obviously, but it was much more interesting when Loki was sitting there scoffing and correcting their ‘finest historian.’ Especially how indignant they were when Tony told them bits and pieces he learned of their mythology on Midgard, some of which he found out were extremely exaggerated.

“That’s ridiculous!” Thor accused. “I have never impersonated a maiden!” Loki scoffed again. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said innocently, winking at Tony, who laughed.

“Excuse me,” the historian said, “may we now get back to the lesson?”

“Sorry,” Thor apologized. “But, you should tell the Midgardians right.”

“I’ll think about it.” Loki brushed his arm against Tony’s to get his attention. “Hmm?” he whispered discreetly.

“How much longer do you think this is going to take?” Loki breathed in reply, slouching with boredom as that guy resumed his lecture.

“Maybe they won’t notice if we slowly slip out the back,” Tony joked. Loki giggled and the history-guy shushed him angrily. 

“I think that should do it for today,” Frigga said then. “We’ll have plenty of time for that later. I think it’s about time we went to bed.” Loki smiled and pulled Tony up, trying to hurry out. “Loki, let him go to sleep!”

“I will, mother! I just want to show him something!” He continued to pull Tony hurriedly down the hall and around a few corners before abruptly turning to face him.

“So what did you want to show me?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to get you alone for a second. Without any creepy reporters following us around. Or my mother.” Tony chuckled and pushed some hair behind Loki’s ears. 

“Oh, really? What did you plan on doing with me once we were alone?” he asked suggestively. Loki blushed and held Tony’s hand on the side of his face.

“I wanted to ask you something . . .”

“Yeah?”

“Are you sure you’re ready for this? This is a lot of responsibility, it’s hardly fair that they thrust it upon you so suddenly. You can call it off any time you want; that is, until the ceremony, then it will be too late. I don’t want you to regret it . . .”

“Listen; when I first heard about this, I thought this was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. But, I figured I could handle being immortal, and I could handle being a royal prince. The thing I really worried about was you. I could handle all of that other stuff, but I really didn’t think I could handle living forever with someone I didn’t like, or that didn’t like me. Now that I’ve met you, though, there’s no one I’d rather spend eternity with. I can’t explain it, it’s like we were made for each other; I haven’t even known you all that long and I already want to keep you forever. This is the best worst thing that ever happened to me.”

Loki smiled up at him lovingly, and Tony leaned in to give him a chaste kiss that made him blush. Loki leaned his head on Tony’s shoulder and sighed contentedly.

“So, what were you laughing about that your mother said in the sewing room?” Tony asked quietly. Loki laughed into his neck.

“She meant that I got my anger issues from my biological father, who is known to be a savage brute. It’s funny because Odin has some anger issues himself. All those severe punishments you told us about weren’t too far from the truth. Of course, we’ve learned from you Midgardians, and he’s tried to ‘tone it down.’”

“I see,” Tony said, laughing humorlessly. He really hoped the story about having his lips stitched together was one of those exaggerated ones. Maybe he’d ask him later.


	8. Prank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They pull a classic Loki prank

The next morning, Tony didn’t wake up until breakfast time, so he didn’t get any time with Loki until after they ate. Despite his initial hesitation, Tony was excited to get back on a horse, so they spent the next few hours riding around the track and talking.

“Loki, why are you so quiet at meals?” Tony asked as they rounded the first corner. Loki rested his head on Tony’s shoulder from behind, holding the reigns around him.

“Hmm, I don’t know. I don’t have anything to say to any of them.”

“Well, what about when I sit next to you? Will you have anything to say to me?”

“Yes, but not anyone else.” Tony sighed and stroked the side of the horses head. “You spoil him,” Loki chided.

“He deserves it. Poor thing has to carry you around all day.” Loki playfully smacked Tony on the side of his head.

“What would you like to do when we’re finished here?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know, what do you want to do? You’re the God of Mischief, let’s do something mischievous!” Tony insisted. Loki chuckled into his hair.

“What did you have in mind?”

“I said you’re the God of Mischief, so you think of something.”

“Hmm, how about you pick a target, and I think of something for us to do to them?”

“Hah! Yeah! Okay, um . . . How about Clint?”

“Which one is Clint?”

“The guy that’s always practicing archery with what’s-his-face.” 

“Oh, of course,” Loki replied sarcastically. “Let me think . . . we could turn his wine to blood and his food to worms this evening!”

“Ew, no!” Tony exclaimed, laughing hysterically. “No, no, we don’t want to give him a heart attack! Nothing too bad, he is my friend.”

“Oh, alright then. We could tie him in a closet with a hundred bunny rabbits. I was going to do that to Thor for his birthday, but Odin forbade me from pranking him on his birthday. Which really isn’t that fair; I was going to let him keep the bunnies.”

“That sounds awesome, but Clint has animal allergies and I don’t want to kill him.”

“Allergies? What do you mean?”

“Well, I don’t really know how to explain it. I guess, when you have allergies, your body cells react with other cells and make you sick or something, I don’t know. I’m an engineer, not a biologist.”

“I see. Well, then, there’s only one thing we can do.”

“What?”

“Come on, I’ll show you.” They hurried back to the stable and put the horse away, and Loki pulled Tony to a place in the garden that was somewhat hidden. He pulled a box out of his pocket and showed it to Tony.

“What’s this?”

“A key. It opens a chest in a secret room. In the chest is a very fragile, but powerful jewel that will give the holder the ability to teleport.”

“Really?”

“No. It’s just a little blue jewel. It’s has this bizarre tendency to cause problems for whoever holds it. I’ve used it a couple of times. All we have to do is ask him to hold it for us until after the wedding.”

“That is awesome! Holy crap, that’s crazy! But, wait, didn’t you say it was fragile? What if he breaks it?”

“No, no, we tell him it’s fragile, but it’s really not. It’s not even a jewel; it’s just a bit of candy that is shaped like a crystal. I put a spell on it. Afterwards, we give him the candy.”

“Do you always give people bunnies and candy after you prank them?”

“I try to. I thought it might make people hate me less. So far, it hasn’t worked, but I still hope.” Tony laughed excitedly.

“I can’t wait! Where is it?”

“You get Clint and meet me in front of the weapons hall.”

“Okay, I’ll be there!” Loki headed to the weapons hall and Tony ran off to the arena to find Clint. Sure enough, he was in there laughing with some Asgardians that were impressed with his sharp shooting.

“Hey, Clint, I need your help!” Clint sighed and rolled his eyes when he saw me.

“Ugh, what do you want?”

“Come on, it’s easy! You’re just the guy to do it!” I grabbed his hand and pulled him away, to the weapons hall.

“What exactly do you need my help with?”

“Well, Loki and I have something that we need someone to hold on to until after the wedding.”

“You mean, like a secret? This place doesn’t seem like the best place to keep secrets . . .”

“Come on, it’s not a big deal. It’s just this jewel thing. It’s not dangerous, we just don’t want anyone to find it, and since we’re so busy with wedding stuff, we decided it would be best if someone held on to it.” Loki was standing by the weapons hall door waiting for them.

“Why did you guys choose me?” Clint asked.

“Process of elimination, really,” Loki replied. “Thor, obviously, is not the most responsible person we know.”

“Steve would feel bad and blow our secret, and Bruce would just not do it,” I added. “And Natasha and Pepper are, well, girls. They don’t get guy stuff.” Loki gave me a weird look and rolled his eyes.

“Anyway, we can’t ask any of the Asgardians because, well, they hate me.”

“But you, Clint, you have just the right amount of responsibility and adventurousness to pull it off!”

“Alright, where is this thing you want me to hold on to?” Clint sighed. Loki smirked and led us up to what was probably the top of the tallest tower, judging on how long it took to get there. In the center of the dark room was a small chest. He did some weird puzzle thing on it and opened it to reveal another chest, which he opened with his key. Inside was a blue jewel on a cushion. Loki took it out and held it up to Clint.

“This is very fragile, so be careful with it.”

“It’s not dangerous or anything, right? What does it do? Why do you want it hidden?”

“It gives the holder the ability to teleport. Don’t try using it, though, because it won’t work for you,” Loki explained. “I want to keep it hidden because it’s mine, and everyone keeps trying to take it away from me.”

“Well, I guess it’s alright then.” Clint took it and placed it carefully in a pocket inside his thick jacket. He turned and headed down the stairs and Tony and Loki followed. Clint tripped on the last stair, knocking over a vase.

“Be careful,” Loki said, looking nervously at his pocket.

“S-sorry! I’ll be more careful!” Clint answered seriously.  
Loki and Tony spent the rest of the day following Clint around and watching him knock over things and run into people, as well as having his pants ripped and getting stuck in a bathroom. Luckily, Clint didn’t seem to be taking it too seriously, just brushing or laughing everything off, which made Tony feel better because he didn’t want to hurt his feelings.


	9. Wedding Rehearsal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They rehearse the ceremony.

“I, Tony Stark—”

“Woah, woah, not ‘Tony’! What kind of ceremony do you think we’re running? You’ve got to be professional!”

“Sorry, sir.”

“You don’t have to call me ‘sir’, I’m just a servant.”

“I like calling you ‘sir’.” Loki shook with the effort to control his laughter. Tony had been causing problems all day, not so much by his own desire. He bit his lip apologetically as the servant sighed in frustration.

“Now, again.”

“I, Anthony Edward Stark . . . uh, what comes after that?”

“You take Loki Odinson to be your eternal partner!”

“Right right. I, Anthony Edward Stark, take Loki Odinson to be my eternal partner. I vow to remain faithful to him and honor him . . . in sickness and in health—”

“No, no, no! You can’t just keep making up your own vows!”

“I didn’t make that up,” Tony pointed out. “Sorry, sorry, uh, I, Anthony Edward Stark, take Loki Odinson to be my eternal partner. I vow to remain faithful to him and honor him for all eternity.”

“Good, now Tony, you give your gift to Loki, the rings. Don’t really touch them yet, just pretend!” Tony pretended to take the box from a servant, open it, and place the ring on Loki’s finger. Loki pretended to take out the other ring and put it on Tony. “Now Loki, your gift is the apple. Don’t really eat it, not yet!” Loki handed Tony the apple and he took a bite of the air around it. 

“Mmm,” he hummed in approval.

“Tony, don’t hum,” Pepper said.

“What? I was remarking on how good this air tastes.”

“Tony!”

“Sorry, I’m sorry! I’ll be serious, I promise.”

“Good. Now you kiss—” Tony leaned forward “not yet! Not yet, Mr. Stark, wait! Then you take his arm and lead him through these doors. Okay, good! Let’s take it from the top, and do it right this time! If you mess up in front of the Allfather . . .”

“I won’t, okay? I can do this.” Howard took Tony’s arm and led him out the doors that he would enter, with Loki behind them. 

“Tony, come on, this is serious,” Howard told him. “You can’t be fooling around, okay?”

“I know, I promise I’ll do it right this time,” Tony insisted.

“Loki, you’re up,” a servant said. Loki walked through the doors and they were shut behind him.

“You’ve got one shot at this, Tony,” Howard continued. “If you mess up the real thing . . .”

“I won’t, okay? I swear I’ll do it right!”

“Mr. Stark! You’re turn!” a servant hissed. The Starks entered the large doors and proceeded down the aisle to where Loki and the servant were waiting. They went through the service again, Tony trying exceptionally hard to do it right. Loki smiled proudly at him as they exited the back doors at the end.

“See? I did it,” Tony said to Howard when they were finished. Howard looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. In Tony’s experience, he knew that meant he was proud. He was no good showing when he was pleased with his son, and plenty good at showing when he wasn’t. Tony learned at an early age how to just accept the silence as his own form of compliment.

“Good, good, I think we’re ready,” the servant said, coming up to them. “Now, listen. It’s not going to be the same tomorrow. There’s gonna be a lot of people all expecting perfection. Don’t get nervous from the crowds.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Tony affirmed. 

“So, tomorrow morning, you will be woken up and given your breakfast. You just need to lay low for a few hours, then you will be given lunch. Immediately after eating, you are to be dressed and prepared for the ceremony by four o’clock.”

“Wow, getting married tomorrow . . .”

“Are you excited?” Loki asked.

“You have no idea.” I put my arm around his shoulder and walked with him down the hall.

“What’s Midgard like?” he asked.

“Well, it’s crowded, and a lot of people think it’s ugly and stained, but I think it has its own beauty. I’ll have to take you there sometime. I’ll show you the city, and the country, we can go stargazing, I’ll show you the beach, we can go to the zoo . . . it’ll be awesome.”

“Good night, Tony. Next time you see me will be our wedding.” Tony planted a chaste kiss on Loki’s lips.

“Good night, Loki.”


	10. Wedding Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the wedding BEFORE the actual ceremony

Tony woke up early that morning. He had butterflies in his stomach, along with the intense desire to be with Loki. Screw that rule, they could just sneak around for a few hours. He got up and quickly dressed and went to sneak out the door only to find it blocked by his mother and a servant with a breakfast tray.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said. “You are staying in this room until they say you can come out!”

“What? I wasn’t going to do anything!”

“Oh, you weren’t going to see Loki?”

“No . . .”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Ugh! Well, it’s a stupid rule!”

“Tony, you have to obey stupid rules, too. Come on and eat, I’ll tell you all about what’s going on.”

Tony sat down at the table in his room as the servant set it up all fancy. His mother sat across him and began excitedly talking about all the preparations.

“The servants have been in a frenzy trying to get all of the decorations all put up. So many people have been arriving, even people from other planets. And the reporters have been trying to get an interview with you. What do you say?”

“I don’t mind getting an interview.”

“Very good, I’ll tell them later. Eat up, this is a big day for you!”

“Yeah, I know, Mom. . . What do you think Loki’s doing?”

“I heard he’s very busy today, as well. He has some preparations of his own, I don’t know the details. I hope everything is going well for him.”

“Do you think he’s thinking about me?”

“Look at you, you’re a love-sick puppy!” she teased. “I’m sure he’s wondering the same thing.”

“I’m impatient, Mom! I want to talk to him!”

“In just a few hours, you’ll be able to hang on and never let go, alright?”

“That sounds nice, but—”

“Or, you could go see him now for a few minutes and then never again.”

“Oh, that doesn’t sound good at all.”

“So wait.” Tony frowned. 

===================================FROSTIRON========================================

Loki placed a cherry in his mouth and chewed softly. He listened to Thor go over once again what it was like to be married, awkwardly avoiding the subject that Loki really felt nervous about. He’d been more intimate with Tony lately than he had been with anyone in his entire life. With Tony’s reputation, Loki hoped he would take the lead in the bedroom. But what if Tony was disappointed with him?

“Thor?”

“Yes, brother?”

“What if Tony doesn’t like me . . . as a bedmate?”

“Loki! Don’t talk like that! He will love you no matter what, I’m sure.”

“But I’ve never done anything like that before . . .”

“Loki, don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine.” Loki sighed and finished off another cherry. “Well, I must leave you brother; we both have things to tend to.” Nodding, Loki got up and went off to his chambers. Soon, the servants would come and put Tony’s things in his room. Loki smoothed the quilt on his huge bed anxiously. He didn’t like people going in his room. 

Next he had to greet the guests with his mother. Mostly just people from Asgard, but a few nobles from their allies. Loki went up to the gate where his mother was greeting a group of people arriving. 

“Loki, you’re late,” she said to him as they continued in to the palace, some muttering a ‘congratulations’ to the prince.”

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

“It’s alright, I understand.” Across the bridge, the bifrost opened and three people stepped out.

“Who’s that? Is that . . . Mother—”

“It’s alright, Loki. We must be cordial.” The Chitari royal family approached them and bowed politely.

“We have come to show that we bear no ill will,” the King told Frigga, “and to express our congratulations to the prince.”

“We are very grateful,” Frigga replied. “Please, make yourselves at home.” The king and queen bowed again, but Loki and the prince stared at each other. Clearly the prince did not share his parents’ peaceful attitude. They walked around Loki and Frigga into the palace.

“Mother.”

“I know, Loki. There’s nothing we can do about it. Just be respectful, they will leave tonight after the ceremony, alright?”

“Mother, please! I don’t want them here!”

“Loki, stop it!” Frigga hissed. “You are acting like a child! Everything will be fine!” Loki pursed his lips and stormed off. 

They’ll ruin everything! he thought as he entered a private balcony, away from the reporters and guests. He breathed in the warm air. It was almost sunset, almost time for the ceremony. Still plenty of time to ruin everything.

Loki looked up sharply, sensing that he was no longer alone. The Chitari prince growled seductively as he came up behind him.

“Stay away from me,” Loki demanded quietly. He chuckled and circled an arm around Loki’s waist. 

“Did you miss me?”

“Not even in your dreams!” Loki huffed, trying to jerk away. The other prince tightened his grip and scowled.

“Oh, you are very wrong about my dreams, precious.”

“Don’t. I mean it! Tony will protect me from you.”

“I don’t see this ‘Tony’ anywhere. And, according to your laws, I don’t believe I will be seeing him anywhere near you for a while.”

“I’m getting Thor,” Loki threatened as he tried to pull away again. He was turned around to face his captor and pushed hard against the balcony, the Chitari’s hands holding his arms tight.

“This is really too easy!” the Chitari prince hissed into his ear. “Do you know what this means? If I take you right now, you will not be allowed to marry that ‘Tony’, and I can have you all to myself! And I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. You belong to me now!”

“No, please!” Loki cried. He knew it was useless to beg, in fact it was probably just feeding the prince’s excitement, but he didn’t know what else to do. He struggled, but he was frightened and confused. Part of him wanted to give in to his despair and accept his fate, but he couldn’t give up on this. Not this time; this was too important. But . . . what could he do?

“Excuse me,” a gruff voice boomed. Thor clapped his hand hard on the Chitari prince’s shoulder. “but I must insist that you remove your disgusting hands from my brother.”

“Mind your own business, Æsir.” 

“My brother is my business. And I don’t believe you are permitted to be on this particular balcony. Now, if you run along nicely and leave him alone, I may not pummel you into an early grave for this.” Thor lifted his trusty hammer threateningly and the Chitari released Loki.

“This isn’t over,” he growled before storming out. Thor pulled Loki into a small hug.

“Brother . . . are you alright?”

“Y-yes,” Loki said, a little shaky. “I was just . . . th-thanks.”

“I should wring his ugly little neck! But, we have more important things to attend to this day. I think it best if you stay by me until the ceremony.”

====================================FROSTIRON=======================================

“Alright, first of all, I just wanted to tell you how honored I am to be here, and that you agreed to have a personal interview with us,” the reporter, Miss Chaplin said.

“Oh, yes, thank you,” Tony answered.

“So, let’s get started. First question: Are you happy with the prince being your arranged husband?”

“Uh, yes, actually, I’m much happier than I could have ever hoped.”

“How do you feel about the ceremony?”

“Well, it’s a little more formal than I’m used to, and everything has to be just right, which I’m a little nervous about, but I think I can handle it. Nothing I can do but try my best anyway.”

“Yes, of course. Can you tell us any significant details about the ceremony for us to look out for?”

“Uh, well, I don’t really know much of the symbolism of the whole thing, I’m afraid.”

“That’s fine. What are your feelings of the Chitari royal family unexpectedly attending the ceremony?”

“. . . What? The Chitari are here?”

“Well . . . yes, I’m sorry, I thought you knew that,” Miss Chaplin admitted. Tony rubbed his wrist nervously. Loki told him the prince had hurt him. What if he tried again? He could only hope that Thor was with Loki, and that he wouldn’t leave him alone for one second.

“This is . . . well, I’m not sure how I feel about this. As long as they don’t try to sabotage the ceremony or anything, I guess I don’t mind them being here.” A timid knock on the door interrupted the interview. A small Æsir woman poked her head in the door.

“Sorry to interrupt, but it’s time for Mr. Stark to be dressed in his ceremonial costume.” Tony nodded, shook the reporter’s hand and followed the woman out.


	11. THE WEDDING

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The actual ceremony

“Thor? Thor! Come quick!” Frigga said, pulling Thor’s arm.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s Loki, he is not well.”

“Not well? The ceremony begins in mere moments!” They walked into Loki’s room, where he was sitting in front of his vanity, all dressed in his ceremonial costume, being attended to by a number of servants. He had his arms folded and his legs crossed stubbornly.

“Loki, what is going on?” Thor demanded.

“I’m not doing it. I refuse.” He flinched as a servant pinned some of his hair back under his gold ornate head dress.

“Why? I thought you were excited.”

“I’m sick. I’m going to throw up.”

“Oh, Loki, you are merely anxious,” Frigga said, sitting next to him and putting an arm around his shoulders. “Now, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I told you, I’ve fallen ill. I cannot go through with this, we’ll have to cancel.”

“We cannot cancel, Love, there are so many people waiting for you right now!” Loki whimpered. “Aw, Loki, are you afraid of the people?”

“No, Mother, I just don’t want them to look at me! Why are there so many? Why do they care about me getting married?”

“Because this isn’t just a wedding between the two of you, it symbolizes the union between us and the Midgardians.”

“Mother, please don’t make me! I’m going to throw up!”

“Loki, just relax. Think about Tony, he’s all you need to concern yourself with right now.” Admittedly, that was a nice prospect, but Loki’s gut churned at the thought of so many people watching him . . . all his life, he had stayed in the shadows, avoided people. Now . . .

Thor caught him as he stumbled off his chair. He clutched his brother’s arm and whimpered again.

“Loki, it is time; we must go,” Thor said. Loki’s breathing accelerated and he looked at his mother desperately. She took his hand and led him to his place.

“I have to go now, Loki. Just stay calm. I promise, it will be wonderful. It will be over soon,” she reassured. 

I’m going to pass out, I’m going to throw up, he chanted silently. All too soon, the doors opened for him and he walked up the aisle, keeping his eyes downcast. He took his place in front of his parents. He was dizzy and his hands were trembling.

Then, the doors opened again, and Tony came through. Loki felt relief wash over him. He wasn’t alone, they would do this together. Tony walked down the aisle with such confidence, he looked to Loki like a soldier accepting an award of honor. Trying to replicate Tony’s pride, Loki stood up straighter and held his head higher. 

When Tony entered, he immediately locked eyes with Loki and didn’t look away. At first, Loki looked nervous, but he soon regained his godly demeanor. Tony couldn’t help the small smile that graced his face knowing that he had made Loki more comfortable. He felt butterflies in his stomach as he reached the altar and joined hands with Loki. And damn, he looked good in that outfit.

The Allfather welcomed everyone and said his spiel, his voice booming through the halls with authority. Frigga stood next to him, holding a pillow with a box and a golden apple on it.

“I, Loki Odinson, take Anthony Edward Stark to be my eternal partner. I vow to remain faithful to him and honor him for all eternity.”

“I, Anthony Edward Stark, take Loki Odinson to be my eternal partner. I vow to remain faithful to him and honor him for all eternity.”

“You will now exchange gifts,” Frigga announced, and Tony noticed she held just as much reverence and authority as the king, which Tony thought was very nice. Tony took the box from the pillow, opened it, and took out Loki’s ring, sliding it on Loki’s finger. Loki did the same, and when they were both on, the rings grew and twisted around their fingers ornately. Loki’s bloomed multiple green jewels, and Tony’s red, but in the center of the largest gem on each ring, a light the color of the other’s jewels glowed. Tony noticed that he didn’t even really feel it on his finger, he was just aware that it was there.

Loki then took the apple and placed it in Tony’s hand. The audience, which had been silent before, now seemed to hold their breaths. Tony placed the fruit to his lips and took a bite. It was the sweetest, juiciest apple he had ever tasted. As he chewed and swallowed, Loki took a bite of his own and set the remainder of the apple back on the pillow with the now empty ring box.

After a few words of finality from Odin, he announced that they were to retire to their chambers to seal the marriage (Tony did not bite his lip to hide a smirk) and the guests would join for the feast. Loki took Tony’s arm and led him out the doors and started down the hall. 

“Loki . . .” Tony said as the doors shut behind him.

“Yes?”

“I’m not sure that apple worked. I don’t feel any different.”

“Give it a moment, and be glad you didn’t transition in the middle of the ceremony. Few mortals have been granted immortality, but such a change is said to be quite a shock to behold.” Tony nodded, and not two minutes of walking later, he felt a warmth in his heart, slowly changing to a burning heat and spreading through his veins.

“L-Loki!” Tony gasped, stumbling into his arms. Loki sat him down and stroked his hair calmingly as he writhed in agony. It wasn’t painful, not really, just excruciatingly uncomfortable, and nothing he had ever felt before could compare.

He felt himself rejuvenate. Scars smoothed over, a broken fingernail healed, a cavity he hadn’t told anyone about (can’t trust those dentists) filled up. Pain he hadn’t even realized he had, having grown accustomed to the normal abnormalities of a frail mortal body, ceased. Even at 25 years old, his joints had weakened, and now were strengthened. Aging is such a slow process you hardly notice it until your much older, but even in the youth of the twenties, having it thrown in reverse is spectacular and significant. 

Tony didn’t know how long it lasted, but soon enough he was laying still in Loki’s arms. “Are you alright?” Loki asked, voice full of concern. “I didn’t know it would be so painful, they told me it wouldn’t hurt . . .”

“No, it didn’t hurt, it was just . . . I don’t know what it was. But right now, I feel like I could move mountains!” Loki smiled warmly and helped him up. Tony practically dragged Loki to his room, kissing him passionately as he slammed the door shut with his body, now faced with a new problem: How do you get these clothes off?


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Very short "morning after" epilogue

Tony felt like he’d died and gone to heaven. Actually, he wondered if maybe he had. This was much too good to be true. His sleepy mind was briefly dismayed until he felt a warm body snuggle up to him, when he decided it didn’t matter if it was real or not, it was good enough for him. He stroked Loki’s shoulder and smiled into his sweet smelling hair.

“Good Morning, sunshine,” he cooed.

“You’re finally awake,” Loki replied. “I’ve been waiting for you to wake up for two hours.” Tony chuckled.

“Yeah, I’ve never been too good at waking up.” He scooted down so they were at eye level and touched Loki’s lips softly with his index finger. “Let’s stay like this forever.”

“We do have to go have breakfast.”

“Why?” Tony whined, making Loki grin.

“Because, we were just married yesterday. We have to let everyone know that it all went well. Then we can hide in here and never come out.” Tony laughed and rolled out of bed. They dressed quickly (well, as quickly as they could with Tony constantly stopping Loki) and headed down for breakfast. 

The usual chatter was commencing, with a distinctive difference between the excitement when first arriving and the pleasant ‘winding down’ as they prepared to leave. Tony had a new place at the head of the table next to Loki, and his friends and family were moved up the table to sit next to him. Clint kept making suggestive jokes to me, and Thor gave this big long speech to Loki about how he was a “man” now and all about being all grown up. Loki looked like he wanted to stab Thor just for the entertainment.

Tony’s mother was sobbing the entire time, each minute seeming to switch between tears of joy and sadness. To Tony’s embarrassment, she really started to ball when they were escorted to the bifrost to be sent home. Pepper cried, too, and his science bro may have sniffed back a few tears himself.

Tony gripped Loki’s hand tightly, ready to start a whole new chapter in his life as he watched his old life sucked into a vortex.


End file.
